‘Educating Rita’ Willy Russell Revision ‘Educating Rita’ Willy Russell

Characters Rita What is Rita like? In what way would society react to Rita in 1985? Why does she want to become ‘educated’? How does she change with her ‘education’? What aspects of her ‘self’ does she lose with education? What significant relationships does she have in the text?

Characters Frank What is Frank like as a person? How does he feel about ‘his students’ and in particular Open University students? Why do you think he drinks? Does he enjoy his job? How does Frank change as the play progresses? Does Rita have an impact on this?

Setting Book lined study in a University Northern England 1985 Summer school Frank’s house

Relationships How do these relationships change/ develop as the play progresses? Frank & Rita Rita & Denny Frank & Julia

Themes Personal relationships Clash of cultures

Language and style Amusing and entertaining Speaking different languages: Rita speaks colloquially and Frank in Standard English.

Quotations It was about this old man who runs away from hospital an’ goes out on the ale. He gets pissed an’ stands in the street shoutin’ an’ challengin’ death to come out an’ fight. It’s dead good. Haven’t ye read it? It’s a fantastic book. D’ y’ wanna lend it? It’s crap because the fella who wrote it was a louse. Do it on the radio.

Quotations You’re a crazy mad piss artist who wants to throw his students through the window, an’ I like you.  …to wash away the memory of some silly woman’s attempt to get into the mind of Henry James. My mind’s full of junk. Everyone’s pissed, or on the Valium, tryin’ to get from one day to the next.

Quotes Christ – me customer. She only wanted a demi-wave – she’ll come out looking like a friggin’ muppet. It wouldn’t have mattered if you’d walked in with a bottle of Spanish plonk. I see him lookin’ at me sometimes, an’ I know what he’s thinkin’, I do y’ know, he’s wonderin’ where the girl he married has gone to. If she knew I was at the theatre with an irresistible thing like you? Rita, it would be deaf and dumb breakfasts for a week. You see he goes blindly on and on and with every step he’s spinning one more piece of thread which will eventually make up the network of his own tragedy. An’ she was cryin’, but no one could get why she was cryin’. Everyone just said she was pissed an’ we should get her home.

Quotes There is not a lot of point in discussing beautiful literature in an ugly voice I’m havin’ the time of me life Actually I’m not too familiar with the American poets A room is like a plant   

Quotes They’re young, and they’re passionate about things that matter. They’re not trapped She spends half her life eatin’ wholefoods an’ health foods to make her live longer, an’ the other half tryin’ to kill herself I bought it some time ago – for erm – for an educated woman friend – of mine  

Quotes It’s the sort of thing that gives publishing a bad name. Wit? You’ll find more wit in the telephone book For God’s sake, I don’t want to stop coming here. I’ve got to come here. What about my exam? This clever pyrotechnical pile of self-conscious allusion is worthless, talentless shit and should be recognised as such by anyone with a shred of common sense I’m gonna take ten years off you  

Quotes She’s great. Y’know she’s dead classy. Y’ know like, she’s got taste… There was this really mad one with them; I’ve only been talking to them for five minutes and he’s inviting me to go abroad with them all They suggested a sabbatical for a year – or ten…Europe – or America…I suggested that Australia might be more apt – the allusion was lost on them Or maybe they did it because they’re a bunch of mealy-mouthed pricks who wouldn’t know a poet if you beat them about the head with one